


Penny for Your Socks

by crownjules



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Comedy, Crack, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 11:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11805309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownjules/pseuds/crownjules
Summary: Baekhyun didn't expect his soulmate to be so unfashionable; Kyungsoo knew his was an asshole.





	Penny for Your Socks

**Author's Note:**

> my first baeksoo ahh thank you to the mods for all their hard work, i had so much fun writing this!! i also want to thank s and c for all of their support. this fic is dedicated to l, the biggest baeksoo enthusiast i know (who also came up with the title)

Baekhyun always knew that his soulmate would be good looking. His tattoo had told him as much; a small _Why is he staring at me?_ emblazoned across his left wrist in neat lettering. It’s no wonder that that’s Baekhyun’s soulmate’s first thought about him, he has a habit of ogling good looking people in public. So, of course that’s why he would be caught staring, right?

The words were always in the back of his mind, reminding him that any beautiful person he looked at for a little too long could be the one for him. The idea thrilled him and it made every public excursion that much more exciting. 

\--

The spring breeze that greets Baekhyun on the train platform is quite welcoming. It had been too chilly this morning when he was getting dressed to go without a jacket but now the air is only continuing to warm up as the sun rises higher in the sky, so he can’t take it off and risk ruining his outfit. Especially because today, like any other day, could be _the_ day. 

Luckily, Baekhyun was on his way home to where he can change his attire to match the current weather and not commit any fashion faux pas. He’s filled his quota of errands today, having just come from registering for a summer class and being forced to deal with the unfriendly faces at the registrar’s office. He was probably just going to change into sweats and play Overwatch at home where no one would see him. He’s earned it.

The train is actually on time today, filling up quickly once Baekhyun gets on. He manages to snag one of the last seats and leans over to place his backpack at his feet, taking care that it’s nestled snugly between his legs just in case any train thieves try to get any ideas about snatching it. And while he’s down there just minding his own business, his eyes catch on the footwear of the person who comes to stand right in front of him. The more dramatic part of Baekhyun holds back a gasp. 

Not only is the man wearing the horrible combination of socks and sandals, they just so happen to be chacos in the ugliest dull brown that Baekhyun has ever seen. They look like they’ve seen better days. The socks themselves fare no better, falling on their owner’s ankles patchy and uneven. The both of them look like they were dug out from the back of an eighty year old’s closet. 

The ensemble could perhaps have been forgivable if the sandals were something a little more high class and stylish and the socks didn’t have quite so many patches or even--Baekhyun doesn’t ever get to finish that thought because when his eyes trail upwards on their way to catch a glimpse of the stranger’s face, the stranger shifts, adjusting his grip on the grab handle. The motion causes his sleeve to fall down his arm just a little ways and reveal his soulmate tattoo. 

This time Baekhyun does gasp, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth when he’s confronted with his own thoughts written right there on the stranger’s wrist in elegant script.

Baekhyun doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. This could very well be his soulmate. Though Baekhyun thinks if that’s the case then the system must be broken, because there’s no way that _his_ soulmate could dress this badly. The combined body heat of everyone on the train must be catching up to him because his palms are starting to feel a little clammy. 

Baekhyun’s never known himself to be a subtle person but he tries his best now as he attempts to get a good look at the man’s face. It’s hard--the stranger seems as though he’s taken care to not be seen. He has headphones in and a sweatshirt on with the hood up while his face is nearly obscured in shadow.

“Why are you staring at me?”

The deep voice startles Baekhyun out of his gawking, realizing belatedly that he’s been caught. He splutters for a moment, unable to come up with an excuse before finally deciding to ignore the stranger/his soulmate (!!?) and immerse himself in the sermon that an old man has just begun on the other side of the train car. 

Subconsciously, he pulls his left wrist close to his chest. 

\--

Kyungsoo always knew his soulmate would be a judgemental asshole. So what if he dressed for comfort rather than fashion? If Kyungsoo’s soulmate couldn’t handle it then Kyungsoo wasn’t sure he even wanted him to _be_ his soulmate. 

Sometimes, he forgets his tattoo is even there; it had been a long time since the impact of the words decorating his right wrist had stung. _Socks with sandals? Disgusting._ Well, Kyungsoo was going to wear whatever he pleases, thank you very much.

\--

Kyungsoo is not the most fashionable guy. He knows that. It’s not his fault really. 

Well...mostly. 

He couldn’t really care less about what clothes he wears, usually opting for the most comfortable option, but ever since he understood the implications of his tattoo he decided he was going to wear what he wanted, soulmate be damned. 

There was a short phase in middle school where he tried to do his best to dress to impress, but ultimately it took too much time and effort that Kyungsoo wasn’t willing to spend. And by the time high school rolled around, Kyungsoo realized that the tattoo gave him a sort of power. If he knew what he was wearing when he and his soulmate met, it gave him control over the when. 

Armed with this knowledge, Kyungsoo sometimes wore the particular ensemble when he was in one of his more cantankerous moods. The bitter part of him hoped that when they finally met, he could give his soulmate a piece of his mind. 

Today was one of those days, Kyungsoo having just discovered that he would be required to take a summer class if he wanted to be able to graduate next semester, thus ruining his plans of doing exactly nothing this summer. 

His mood is only worsened by the fact that there are no seats left on the train. Kyungsoo loses out on the battle for the last one to some old lady (which he supposes the gentleman thing to do would be to let her have it anyway) so he’s forced to stand. Sourly, he pulls his hood up and throws his headphones in, hoping at least no one will bother him. 

Only now some pretty boy is staring at him. It’s pretty obvious even though the boy is doing his best to look like he’s not. Kyungsoo studies him for a moment, trying to see if maybe he knows this guy from somewhere. Does he have something on his face? He finally elects to say something once he’s determined that he definitely doesn’t know this guy and now he’s gone from trying to be subtle to openly staring. 

“Why are you staring at me?”

The pretty boy’s eyes widen to the size of saucers before they start darting around trying to find anything else to focus on. Kyungsoo notices him rubbing his left wrist almost absentmindedly. It must be where his tattoo is. Supposedly, soulmates are supposed to have tattoos on the opposite wrists from each other. Kyungsoo’s own is on his right. 

This guy is probably one of those saps who’s actually excited about meeting his soulmate. He probably has something nice and innocuous like _He has pretty fingers_ written there; because he really does if Kyungsoo is being honest.

Anyway, he decides to drop it and not let it bother him. Now Kyungsoo is going to go home, take a long nap, and mourn the loss of his carefree summer.

\--

“That’ll be $11.67,” the cashier drawls with a bored pop of her gum. 

Baekhyun watches the customer in front of him dig in his wallet for the bills while he wonders idly about whether or not the cashier will judge him for using his credit card to purchase his 89 cent slushie. 

He’s just decided that the shame is worth it when the man ahead of him spins around to leave and knocks clean into him. A little bit of Baekhyun’s slushie spills onto him and the ground. 

“Oh, excuse me.” The man says, the deep timbre of his voice rattling Baekhyun in its familiarity. “I’m so sorry.”

Baekhyun didn’t get a clear look at his face before, but the man’s voice has been replaying in his head, repeating the words on his wrist every night for the past week. The man turns around to procure a napkin and Baekhyun glances down to confirm--yep there they are. 

Without thinking, Baekhyun turns on his heel and exits the shop before his soulmate can turn around. 

It’s only when he’s halfway down the block that he realizes he never paid for his slushie. _That’s just great_ he thinks, and takes a guilty sip. First his soulmate wears the most hideous shoes known to man and now Baekhyun can’t even go back to the convenience store that’s closest to his apartment without being arrested for slushie theft. He’s a wanted man.

\--

As far as meeting your soulmate goes, ducking into the nearest alleyway when you see them is probably not the best move. Baekhyun knows this, but that doesn’t stop him from doing exactly that, peering out from behind a dumpster to see if the coast is clear yet. 

His soulmate walks past, stopping momentarily to stare down the mouth of the alleyway. Baekhyun quickly pulls his head back. The tall guy he’s with ushers him forward telling him it’s probably just a cat or something and they continue on with their conversation. 

It seemed like fate was toying with him. It was almost as if everywhere he went, his soulmate was there, and Baekhyun was too much of a coward to say anything.

How does one go about introducing themselves to someone who has your first rude thought about them tattooed on their body permanently? On the bright side, Baekhyun was pleased to note he was right about his soulmate being good looking. 

“Why don’t you just talk to him,” Jongdae sighs after listening to Baekhyun recount the incident later that night. Baekhyun has had a long week and he’s glad he finally gets to rant to his friend, even if his problems are self imposed. 

“Because it’s not that easy. ‘Hey I’m your soulmate sorry my first thought about you was how disgusting you are but I promise I’m nice’”

Jongdae laughs wryly, “Fair point.”

Baekhyun plops himself down on the sofa to where Jongdae’s cat lies. Maybe he can cuddle his problems away.

“You could always try, you know.” Jongdae starts again, “He’s your soulmate, he ought to understand.”

Baekhyun buries his face further into the cat’s fur, trying to get away from Jongdae and his logic. This only seems to upset the cat; it springs up with a hiss and scampers away in the direction of the bedrooms. 

Baekhyun huffs and crosses his arms. 

“It’s easy for you to say when both you and Minseok have tattoos about how beautiful each of you are.”

Jongdae laughs again, “Well that’s my advice and I’m sticking to it.” He sits himself next to Baekhyun on the couch, kicking his legs off the coffee table, “Now are you going to choose a movie or am I going to have to kick you out of my house?”

\--

Summer classes are exactly what Kyungsoo expected them to be; long, boring, and full of people who would rather be elsewhere. Spending time in a stuffy classroom discussing philosophical ideas and concepts when he could be doing literally anything else was bringing him down. 

Kyungsoo bitterly opens another Snapchat from Sehun of him and Chanyeol at the beach. The last one was a video--a close up of Sehun’s right eye as he yells at Chanyeol to stop splashing him. Really, they’re just rubbing it in now. 

He sets his phone down and sighs, prepared to be bored to death for the remainder of class when another student rushes in. He apologizes to the professor for his tardiness and Kyungsoo recognizes him as the pretty boy from the train with a staring problem. The professor waves in acknowledgement and tells the boy to take a seat. 

(Un)fortunately, the only seat left is the one next to Kyungsoo’s in the second row--which makes him seem like a better student than he actually is. Truthfully, if he wasn’t blind as hell, he would choose a seat in the back like a normal person and sleep--even though that hasn’t seemed to stop the kid on his other side who looked like he had yet to actually wake up this morning. 

Kyungsoo gives pretty boy a little wave when he sits down and the boy gasps, facing the front and doing his best to ignore Kyungsoo as the lecture drones on. Yet he continues to blow his own cover with the way his eyes keep flitting sideways. Kyungsoo has to find out what his deal is.

“Have we met before?” The lecture has ended and Kyungsoo makes sure to catch the guy before he flees. 

“Nope!” The guy answers cheerfully. Kyungsoo fixes him with a skeptical gaze and the guy seems to come to an exaggerated realization. He points his finger at Kyungsoo, nodding slightly. “Ah,” he continues with a chuckle, “I spilled my slushie on you two days ago, sorry about that.”

He claps Kyungsoo on the back and puts his head down in an attempt to sweep past him quickly. He emits an undignified squeak when this attempt is thwarted by a hand on his shoulder. 

“That was you?”

“Hmm…………...uh……….what?”

Kyungsoo studies him again, unsure why the guy is trying to deny something he just admitted to two seconds ago. Finally, the pieces fall together, he remembers the way the other man had darted out, leaving Kyungsoo to pick up his mess and his bill. 

“You owe me 89 cents.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Kyungsoo grabs his arm again, “I’ll accept payment in slushie form,” he says, leading them outside and into the blinding sun of the late June afternoon. It’s the perfect day for a cold treat. 

“What if I have other plans?” The guy asks, still being led down the street by his arm. Kyungsoo hesitates.

“Do you?”

“Yes!” He huffs, grabbing his right arm back and crossing it with his left. He straightens his posture. “I was going to play Overwatch.”

“Oh, awesome, I’ll join you.”

“I don’t even know you!”

“Kyungsoo.” He says offering his right hand. Pretty boy’s eyes roam over Kyungsoo’s tattoo and down to his shoes and Kyungsoo bristles. He struggles to keep the smile on his face while he waits for the inevitable comment. But instead, the boy just offers his hand as well. Kyungsoo lowers his defenses. 

“Baekhyun.”

\--

Twenty minutes later, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are sitting on the curb outside of 7-11 drinking slushies. Baekhyun guzzles down his cherry and Coke combination while doing his best to hide his wrist and Kyungsoo is enjoying his own mango slushie that Baekhyun had paid for. He seems content with the silence between them. Normally, Baekhyun would try to find something to fill it with, but this is kind of nice. 

The comfortable silence is only broken when Baekhyun reaches the end of his drink and slurps at the remaining dregs, being sure to get every last drop. Kyungsoo looks at him in disgust but Baekhyun, now satisfied and comfortable, sticks out a cherry red tongue at him.

Kyungsoo throws a napkin in his face. 

“So what do you think we should do our project on?” Kyungsoo asks, heaving himself up from the curb and dusting off his pants. 

“Project?” Baekhyun joins him, standing up and taking the cup from Kyungsoo, depositing both of them in the trash.

“Oh right, you hadn’t shown up yet. The professor grouped us by rows for our final project. It’s not due until the last week of class but that’s really only a few weeks away. We should at least pick a topic.”

“So us and that sleepy kid?” Baekhyun has no idea what the project is even on, but more people means less work for him, so he’s in. 

“There was a girl too,” Kyungsoo chuckles, “I was thinking we could do something on soulmates but we’d have to discuss it with them.”

If Kyungsoo notices Baekhyun choke slightly at the mention of soulmates he doesn’t say anything. Maybe it’s not the best topic to discuss with said soulmate who will probably, at the very least, not like what Baekhyun had to think about him. 

He’s quiet for a bit, trying to figure out what to say, and Kyungsoo takes it as him putting thought into the project. He hasn’t even noticed that they’ve been walking with a destination in mind when Kyungsoo stops in front of an apartment building not far from his own. 

“This is me,” he says, pointing to the brown brick building, “See you tomorrow.”

“I thought we were playing Overwatch.” Baekhyun blurts without thinking, kicking himself when he realizes that Kyungsoo must have not really meant it.

Kyungsoo’s lips set into a slight frown, “I actually..have plans later. I kind of only said that so you would talk to me.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun answers. He should have known. Kyungsoo may be his soulmate but in the eyes of the other he’s still a total stranger. 

“Some other time, though?” Kyungsoo offers. Baekhyun’s spirits lift a bit at how sincere the other’s tone is. 

He nods and the two say goodbye and part ways. He seriously needs to figure this out before he gets in too deep.

\--

A walk in the park is normally not Kyungsoo’s thing. He’s not really a nature guy if he’s being honest with himself, but for some reason, today he felt like taking the long route home from Chanyeol’s place. To make up for the lack of fresh air he gets stowed away in that classroom. 

The park is awash in an orange glow from the setting sun. It highlights the outline of a figure up ahead. It almost looks like Baekhyun walking a….cat?

The figure is struggling, the cat does not want anything to do with him and when Baekhyun turns around he’s frowning so hard that Kyungsoo fears the lines on his face might be permanent. 

“I didn’t know cats needed to be walked.” Kyungsoo says, jogging up from behind to catch the other man. Baekhyun jumps a little. 

“Only when their owner is a freak.” He grumbles. 

“So he’s your cat, then?”

“Ha-Ha,” Baekhyun scoffs. “No, this is my friend Jongdae’s cat and I owed him a favor.”

“So he made you walk his cat?”

Baekhyun sends Kyungsoo a look that tells him not to push it. 

“Hey, did you want to play Overwatch when you’re done?” Kyungsoo grabs the leash from Baekhyun. He shrugs, “It looks like you could use a break.”

“Sure, let’s take him home and then we can go.”

They walk to Jongdae’s apartment, chatting amiably. Baekhyun gets upset when the cat takes to Kyungsoo more than it ever did to him. It’s kind of cute. 

Once they reach Jongdae’s apartment, Baekhyun wastes no time shoving the cat back into the owner’s arms as soon as he opens the door. 

“Hello to you, too,” Jongdae says to Baekhyun, placing a kiss on the top of the cat’s head. 

“Can’t stay, but can I borrow a sweater?” Baekhyun asks. The sun has gone down fully by now but the air has remained warm. Maybe Baekhyun is just one of those people who gets cold all the time. 

“Why are you asking? You never ask for things.” Jongdae answers instead of saying yes. He turns to Kyungsoo, “Also, hello. Who is this?” The last question is more for Baekhyun, who has already made his way back to the bedroom. 

“That’s Kyungsoo,” he says, coming back into the room with a sweatshirt half over his head. The words are sort of muffled. “He’s a friend from class.”

The friends share a significant look and Jongdae turns to Kyungsoo with a smile, the corners of his mouth turn up wickedly. 

“Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo smiles, and then, “Nice shoes.” 

“Okay, we’re leaving. Bye.” Baekhyun leads Kyungsoo out of the apartment, slamming the door in Jongdae’s face. He power walks down the hall to escape the muffled whining that follows. 

Kyungsoo looks back at the door, “Was he making fun of me?”

“What, no. He--he’s just annoying. Let’s go play.”

Kyungsoo wants to take Baekhyun’s word for it, but he has a feeling that there’s something he’s not being told.

\--

Baekhyun ends up being a lot more talkative than Kyungsoo had anticipated; and that was okay, Kyungsoo was more of a listener. Gaming with him was fun. Baekhyun would talk a big game and then lose spectacularly to Kyungsoo, making flimsy excuses the whole time. 

It’s not so fun now, when Kyungsoo is trying to pay attention in class for once so he can actually pass, and Baekhyun is yammering away in his ear. 

“Can’t we talk after class?” Kyungsoo hisses, trying not to draw the attention of the professor. He has no idea how she hasn’t caught Baekhyun yet. 

“But we have a group project meeting then.”

“Exactly.”

Huffing, Baekhyun sits back in his seat and pouts for the remainder of the lecture. He sighs dramatically every now and then just to be sure Kyungsoo hears him, but the latter just rolls his eyes and continues writing his notes. 

Once class is over, they huddle together with their groupmates Jongin and Irene, just staring awkwardly at each other for a few moments.They’ve decided it’s probably time to choose a subject for their project. It’s already midway through the summer semester.

It’s a tad awkward since none of them really know each other--or even want to be here, but Kyungsoo kind of knows Baekhyun. He likes him more than he thought he would. Maybe the class isn’t a total wash. 

Baekhyun is alright, Kyungsoo supposes, even if he did make a weird first impression.

“So, uh, we’re supposed to be debating something controversial,” Jongin says to break the ice. Irene hums in disinterest. 

“What about the concept of soulmates?” Kyungsoo offers. 

“The concept of soulmates? That’s a little broad isn’t it?” Jongin asks. “And how is it controversial? Isn’t it accepted as standard?”

“Like, whether we believe in it or not? Because I don’t.” Irene says. 

Jongin looks positively affronted. “How can you not believe in it when there’s proof right there on your arm?” 

“Well, obviously this person exists who had this thought, but am I really meant to fall in love with them and live happily ever after?” She looks like she wants nothing to do with the idea.

“Yes.” Jongin pouts, but Kyungsoo kind of agrees with her. He wonders what her tattoo says. 

“I’m with Irene. Personally, I know my soulmate is a dick so why would I want anything to do with them?” If possible, Jongin looks even more offended, Baekhyun makes an undignified squeaking noise, and Irene even looks a little fazed. Kyungsoo shrugs and holds up his wrist. “I have proof.”

“Have you thought about...getting different shoes?” Baekhyun suggests. Kyungsoo scoffs. Like he hasn’t heard that a million times. 

“Why should I cater to someone who would judge me on something so shallow?” Irene makes a noise of agreement. “This is why I’m not sure I believe in them. I think the system is faulty.”

“Well I’m with Jongin, I believe in them,” Baekhyun bursts in before Kyungsoo can say anything else. Jongin looks grateful to have someone on his side. “I also believe that sometimes people can leave bad first impressions….so there’s that.” He’s acting weird again, avoiding eye contact. Sweat beads on his forehead and Baekhyun wipes it away with the sleeve of his sweater…..his sweater. 

It’s July and hotter than hell. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. “What does _your_ tattoo say?”

Baekhyun takes notice of Kyungsoo’s eyes tracking his movements and pulls his wrist down to his lap. “Doesn’t matter, it’s private.” He mumbles. 

“I know so many people who have found their soulmates and are very happy. Who says that can’t be you if you give them a chance?” Jongin says. He absentmindedly rubs his left wrist, looking almost put out. 

“I bet half the population has had a thought about how hot you are so how do you know they’re the real deal?” Jongin chokes and Kyungsoo shrugs, “That’s probably what your tattoo says, isn’t it?”

“Alright boys, it looks like we have a topic here,” Irene interrupts with a clap of her hands, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other places to be. Mainly, not here.” She stands up to leave without waiting for an answer from the others. 

She has a point though, they’ll have a few more weeks to get into the project and the promise of freedom is really calling Kyungsoo’s name. Irene and Baekhyun have already left and Kyungsoo is set to follow but Jongin is still slowly gathering his things with a pout. Kyungsoo kind of feels bad. 

“You’re wrong.” Jongin says, stopping Kyungsoo at the door. He holds out his wrist for the other to read. Kyungsoo holds back a laugh for Jongin’s sake. He must have struck a nerve earlier. “I’m not sure what it means, but even if it was thought in a not nice way Baekhyun was right, first impressions aren’t everything. I'd like to believe the universe gets it right more often than not.”

How is this knowledge being dropped on Kyungsoo right now from the kid who sleeps his way through philosophy class? He might be right but it still doesn’t stop Kyungsoo from wanting to give his soulmate a piece of his mind, and right now he has a few questions for someone in particular. 

“Well, we'll just have to see about that,” Kyungsoo says, taking the bucket hat from Jongin’s hands to put on his head, pulling it down over his eyes. Jongin is taller than him so he’s forced to stand on his tiptoes. “For the record, I think you make a cute lampshade.”

\--

“Baekhyun!” Baekhyun walks a little faster at the shout of his name, hoping Kyungsoo won’t catch up with him. “Baekhyun!”

He ducks down a side road in an attempt to lose him, but it’s no use. Kyungsoo is panting a little as he reaches him. “I thought you wanted to talk after class?”

“Yeah sorry, something came up so I gotta go.” 

“Why do you keep wearing long sleeves in the middle of July?” Baekhyun’s eyes flash to Kyungsoo’s feet. He does that a lot, Kyungsoo observes. Baekhyun answers with an awkward chuckle. 

“This is my outfit.”

“But you’re sweating.” Kyungsoo points out. He doesn’t wait for a reply before he grabs Baekhyun’s left arm and yanks the sleeve over his wrist. The words written there are answer enough. “How long have you known?”

“How was I supposed to tell you my first thought about you was how disgusting you were?” Baekhyun answers, remembering Jongdae’s advice to try. 

“You should have told me,” Kyungsoo deadpans, “So I could beat you up and get it over with.” Baekhyun blanches and it incites a small smile to bloom on the former’s face. “Look, I don’t know you well, but this whole time I thought you would be an asshole because of this-” he shakes his wrist, “but you’re cute and kind of annoying in an endearing way, so maybe you’re not as bad as I thought.” 

This is a surprising turn of events. Baekhyun was so sure that Kyungsoo would never want to speak to him again. Screw Jongdae for always being right, Baekhyun will never tell him this. 

“Does that mean we can go on a date?” Baekhyun asks. The mushy fantasies that he used to have are all coming back to him now. Kyungsoo nods. “How about..the mall?”

“The mall?”

“Yeah so we can get you some new shoes.” Baekhyun should have expected the punch on the arm, but he laughs anyway. He’s relieved when Kyungsoo goes along with it good naturedly.

“Okay, but you’re paying.” 

“Why am I always the one who has to pay? You’re going to put me in debt.”

Kyungsoo holds up his wrist, “I have physical proof of how your first thought about me was mean.” Baekhyun hangs his head at the reminder. 

“Yeah well, I thought you were going to be ridiculously hot based on my tattoo.” Baekhyun counters, “And that’s why I would be staring.” 

Kyungsoo quirks an eyebrow, “So I’m not ridiculously hot?”

“Um….” Baekhyun fumbles. Curse him and his stupid big mouth. “You are, it was just overshadowed by your heinous shoes.” And he’s still wearing them. Right here in the middle of the city for other people to see, Baekhyun doesn’t know how he does it.

“Okay, bye.” Kyungsoo starts walking away and Baekhyun panics. 

“Shit! Wait, I’ll buy you two pairs?” He calls after him hopefully. Kyungsoo halts his movement forward but doesn’t return to Baekhyun’s side. He cocks his head.

“And a soft pretzel?” He bargains. 

“If that’s what it takes for forgiveness.” Baekhyun’s wallet is protesting but he thinks it might be worth it.

“Alright let’s go.”

Baekhyun beams. 

\--

Shoes go a long way, Baekhyun thinks later as he watches Kyungsoo wiggle his feet around to test his new pair. They make him look sophisticated--much better than the grumpy grandpa look he had been rocking. The new shoes look good on him and Baekhyun makes sure to tell him.

“It’s a good thing you don’t know what my second thought about you was.” Kyungsoo tells him once they exit the store. He’s clutching his purchase close to his chest. He had refused to wear the shoes out of the store like Baekhyun had insisted. The latter thinks he’s doing it specifically to get on his nerves. “I don’t think you would ever let me live it down.”

“Oh my god, you have to tell me now.” What information could Kyungsoo possibly be concealing from him. 

Kyungsoo hums. “That’s for me to know, and you to never find out.”

Ah, so Kyungsoo liked games. Well Baekhyun does too, and two can play at that game. He leans close to Kyungsoo’s ear and makes his voice as sultry as possible. “I think I’ll find a way.”

To his credit Kyungsoo doesn’t miss a beat, grabbing Baekhyun and whispering, “I’d like to see you try.” His breath tickles Baekhyun’s ear and he has to remind himself that they’re in the middle of the mall. Kyungsoo pulls away with a smirk. 

So maybe Kyungsoo was wrong about his soulmate being a judgemental asshole, but Baekhyun was happy to be correct in his own assumptions.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are always appreciated! thank you for reading!


End file.
